Message From Our Minister February 2018

It’s still winter and I’m feeling grumpy. Like many people while I love the seasons by February I’m heartily sick of this one. Roll on longer days, daffodils and sunshine!

There is a song by one of my favourite artists Nicole Nordeman called “Every Season”. It always reminds me of my friend Paul who was an incredibly talented minister who passed away from cancer a decade ago. We were driving through Texas together when he said “Isn’t this the coolest song?”. This is what it says about winter:

And everything in time and under Heaven

Finally falls asleep

Wrapped in blankets white, all creation

Shivers underneath

And still I notice You when branches crack

And in my breath on frosted glass

Even now in death, You open doors for life to enter

You are winter.

Sometimes we just have to wait for the spring and it is all the mean wonderful because of the longing for it. Already I’m leafing through seed catalogues trying to find this years “weird but must have vegetable”. After Cucamelons and Asparagus peas we’ll see what it is.

Our faith can be like this. All of us hits a rough patch when it feels like winter and all we can see is grey skies and dead leaves. The mark of an active faith is waiting with it, knowing that it will pass and spring will come.Sometimes it means trying something weird and wonderful like the one weird vegetable I always plant amongst my more normal planting.

The dates of this year’s Lent are absurd- Lent starts on Valentines Day (a traditional day of grimness) and Easter Sunday is April Fool’s Day. In the spirit of the quirk in the calendar, try something different from the norm and see if it puts a spiritual spring in your step as we wait to see spring happening around us.